Tension
by dasuberwight
Summary: The infamous 3yrs in which Bulma and Vegeta get together. Everyones got their own version, this is mine. R&R and enjoy.
1. Chapter One And so it begins

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially Dragonball Z. Well obviously, I own a computer, but please don't sue me cos that's all you'll get, and I'll miss it so.

Also, this is my first time writing anything. I know the chapters are short. My apologies, but they're going up as they come out of my head, I will rehash them when this is complete. Any reveiws, good or bad are much appreciated. I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I have writing it.

Chapter 1- And so it starts

Vegeta scowled.

"This is it?" he snarled.

"What?! It?! This is my home, its really quite extravagant by Earth standards. Besides, you don't have to stay here." Bulma's temper flared, and her face flushed.

"Hmpf." Vegeta just glared. Not quite at her, but over her shoulder. He turned away.

"It will suffice."

Bulma counted backwards from 10. She took a deep breath and sighed. Why the hell am i doing this? She asked herself. Am i really that polite that i felt i had to invite Vegeta as well as the Nemekians? Oh well, I've already asked him now, I can't take it back. She took another breath and her temper slowly subsided, and the flush slowly faded from her face.

Vegeta glanced at her quickly. The woman had looked like she was about to explode a second ago, in fact she had gone a bright pink colour. A dozen insults sprang to mind, and yet he used none.

Bulma turned from him and walked up the path, a resigned look on her face. She reached the front door and opened it. She paused, thinking about her parents. How the hell was she going to explain this to them?

Vegeta snorted and pushed past her.

"Hold up! What do you think you're doing?" She moved past him, purposely bumping into him, with enough force to have shown anyone else her displeasure. Vegeta seemed not to notice.

"I'm entering, Woman."

"Where are your manners?"

"Fine, after you." He blocked her path and smirked. Bulma squeezed between him and the wall. This time he noticed her presence, although Bulma did not. He eyed the curve of her neck then checked himself before his eyes could go any further. Why the hell am i looking at _her_? Shes nothing but an unattractive Earth woman with a spare room.

Bulma marched down the hallway and up the stairs.

"Follow me... My _prince_." She spat.

Vegeta turned and did as he was told, still slightly put out by his earlier thoughts. This time he made a conscious effort not to watch her as she moved ahead of him.

She lead him down a series of hallways and stopped in front of some double doors. She opened them and stepped inside.

"Bed... Bathroom." She pointed. "We'll get you some more clothes tomorrow, but for now I'll have to go get you a robe."

Vegeta said nothing, so Bulma left. He walked around the apartment. It was smaller than he was accustomed to as a saiyan prince. But he'd most certainly had worse, the ships that he had traveled on weren't all that spacious. He opened a curtain and saw a balcony. He fumbled with the lock, but couldn't figure it out. Vegeta felt frustrated. He drew back his hand and started to gather Ki in order to blast it.

Bulma walked in and glared disapprovingly at him. The Ki ball disappeared from his hand.

She was silent as she walked over and opened the lock for him. She then moved past him and placed some towels on the bed. Vegeta played with the lock a couple of times then turned and looked at her. She looked disdainfully back at him and handed him the robe . Finally she spoke-

"You may want to put this on now, so I can wash what you're wearing. You smell."

"Insolent woman. Do you really think I care if my odour bothers you?"

She could feel her cheeks flushing again, but she feigned detachment.

"Would you just do it?"

He glared at her but took off his shirt. Bulma turned away, but not before catching a glimpse of his chest. She flushed a little more, glad that he could not see her face. She silently berated herself. 'Bulma, you idiot, think about Yamcha... You love him. You cant be checking out saiyan princes, even if they are rather hot.'

He put on the robe and handed her his clothes. She held them out in front of her, with her thumb and finger and stalked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Vegeta watched her leave and sat on the bed. He wondered why he had held his tongue. He was, after all, a saiyan prince, and he held his tongue for no wench. He promptly dismissed all thoughts of her and lay back on the bed. His mind turned to his destroyed home world and eventually fell into a restless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially Dragonball Z. Well obviously, I own a computer, but please don't sue me cos that's all you'll get, and I'll miss it so.

I'm not sure what to call this one...

Please don't forget to review, I want to know what you think.

Chapter 2

Bulma looked both ways as she left her room. She didn't want to run into Vegeta. She could feel her heckles rising just thinking about him. How, after a couple of weeks, did he know how to press her buttons so well? After ensuring she was alone she sneaked down the hallway. Vegeta always had a way of showing up and irritating the crap out of her when she least expected it. It was almost like he was trying to piss her off. But, she thought to herself, why would he bother his princely self by purposely annoying a lowly human?

"He is such an idiot." She muttered. "Why the hell did I – ARG!!!"

Bulma was so lost in these thoughts that she had stepped over the edge of the stairs. Her legs went out from under her. She sat down hard and scooted down a couple of stairs.

"At least I didn't fall down all of them..."

She eased herself to a standing position and gingerly touched her tail bone.

"That's going to leave a bruise, at least no one was around to see it."

"Ahem."

Vegeta was poised at the top of the stairs, shirtless and smirking.

Bulma's face coloured for the nth time since she had met Vegeta, but for the first time it wasn't in anger.

"I... But... Well... You see..." She stammered.

"Go ahead." Vegeta smirked.

"What are you doing, anyways?" Bulma recovered a little of her confidence.

"I just came out to see what all the noise was."

"Well, I, uh... I had a slight accident..."

"So I gather. I also assumed there was someone else here. You seemed to be talking to someone before you screeched and almost burst my ear drums."

"Just talking to myself." Bulma mumbled. "Why the hell are you so interested anyway, Saiyan no Ouji?"

"I'm not." Vegeta turned on his heel and stalked off.

Bulma retrieved her slipper from where it had tumbled during her fall, and straightened her pajamas. She headed towards the kitchen and entered still rubbing her bruised rear end.

"Good morning, Bulma honey. How are we today?" Her mother turned around and saw Bulma rubbing herself. "OH MY! What happened, darling? I thought I heard some sort of racket."

"Please, Mom. Not so loud, ok? I just woke up."

"So, what happened?"

"I fell down the stairs, ok?"

Mrs. Briefs placed a pile of pancakes in front of Bulma.

"Where does it hurt?"

"Mmpf." Came Bulma's reply, through a mouthful of pancakes.

Vegeta stepped out of the shower. It wasn't his practice to shower before he started training, but when he headed back to his room after poking fun at Bulma he had to find some excuse for actually going back there. He wasn't about to let her know that he was checking to see if she was ok. Hell, he didn't know why he had gone. Thankfully she hadn't noticed. Admittedly though, she was more than a little flustered. It was really quite amusing. The wench was annoying as hell, but she was a piece of ass. 'Well.' He thought to himself 'That must be why I went to check on her. No one likes spoiled meat.'

He dressed himself quickly and headed to the kitchen. He could hear Mrs. Briefs chattering away. He paused before entering to steel himself and the conversation floated out to him. Mrs. Briefs was trying to organise Bulma's love life.

"So, Bulma honey, when are you next going to see Yamcha? I can cook you love birds a wonderful dinner if he comes here."

"Mother!" Bulma was sounding exasperated. "a) I do not, I repeat, DO NOT, need your help with Yamcha and b) I'm not completely sure whats going on with him, he's been somewhat distant of late..." She trailed off wondering what the hell she was doing telling any of this to her Mom.

"Bulma honey, you kids are great together, I'm sure you'll work things out"

"That's just it, a year ago I would have been feeling ignored, but now, it really doesn't bother me. I think we may be growing apart. Don't get me wrong, I love him dearly but... you know... I might just give him a call, or maybe I'll go surprise him... See how he's doing."

"That's a good idea, dear. But there's always that handsome Vegeta. If only I were 10 years younger..."

Vegeta, still listening outside the door, scowled.

"Mother! You know the only reason he puts up with you is that you can cook."

"You're changing the subject."

"What? That Vegeta's handsome? Ok, I'll give you that..."

Vegeta smirked.

"Though he is awfully short for a saiyan."

Vegeta's smirk turned back into a frown.

"Besides, Mom, he's as uninterested in me as I am him."

"Well dear, I think you two would make a lovely couple, he's so sexy." Mrs. Briefs sighed.

Bulma choked on her pancakes.

"I agree, Mother, but being sexy does not vindicate him from being a total arse."

Vegeta chose to walk in at this point. Bulma had her back to him, but Mrs. Briefs noticed him immediately.

"Why, good morning, Vegeta dear!"

"Bulma snorted into her glass of orange juice. Vegeta seated himself opposite her and dug into a giant pile of pancakes. Bulma wiped the juice off her face and watched Vegeta eat. After a minute or so he looked up and saw her looking.

"Yes?" He spat.

"You eat like a pig." Bulma snarled and walked out.

Vegeta went back to the pancakes, trying his best to ignore Mrs. Briefs' incessant chattering.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially Dragonball Z. Well obviously, I own a computer, but please don't sue me cos that's all you'll get, and I'll miss it so.

Chapter 3

Bulma put down the phone. She had picked it up several times already in order to call Yamcha, but she just didn't seem to be able to dial his number. She glared at the phone as if her inability to call Yamcha was it's fault. She sighed, got up from her bed and started pacing. 'Well,' she thought to herself 'the great Bulma Briefs gets nervous about seeing no man.' Especially not Yamcha, they'd been together for ages, after all. She turned and looked out of her window at the sparkling lights of the city. Was it night already? Time seemed to fly by when she was in her lab. 'Well then Bulma, if I'm not going to call him then I guess I'll go surprise him.'

She walked over to the wardrobe.

"Hmm... What to wear?" She paced a little. "I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard. We've been together forever, but then again, I don't want to be surprising him looking like a slob."

She pulled on a pair of form fitting jeans, and a nice singlet.

"Very nice, if I do say so myself. I look good enough to knock anyones socks off."

Vegeta sat up straight. He couldn't meditate while the wench was talking to himself. He scowled and stood up. He paced around the room a couple of times, listening to the wenches muttereings, vaguely resembling a caged animal.

'Well,' he thought to himself, 'if I'm not going to get any peace than neither will she. Perhaps I should taunt her a little.' He removed his shirt. He left his room, stalked down the hallway and banged loudly on her door.

There was a couple of seconds pause and Bulma flung open the door. She did a double take, the last person she had expected to see at her door was Vegeta. Especially a half naked Vegeta. Her eyes travelled over his chest before she got control of herself. She locked her eyes on his face and glared at him.

"What?" She spat.

"Be quiet, woman."

"Hmm?" Bulma looked slightly confused.

"You're talking to yourself. I need quiet so I can meditate."

"I was talking to myself?" She scowled, more to herself than him. "And why should I care if this bothers you, my _prince_?" her voice dripped with malice.

"It irritates me."

"Well, boo hoo. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have places to go and people to see." She said with a superior air.

"Good. I shall have some peace then. Though I find it hard to believe that anyone would choose to see you." He stalked off and left Bulma fuming. She would have chased after him and given him an earful, but as she had told him, she had people to see. The other person involved just didn't know it yet. Besides, the arrogant prick really wasn't worth her time. But then, why did he bother her so much?

Vegeta listened to her leave. Why did he go interupt her, he could have waited another couple of minutes and she would have stopped anyway. But then, he had better things to do and he wasn't getting them done while she was chattering away. And he did get a sadistic pleasure of winding her up. The girl had guts though, there wern't that many people who stood up to the Prince of all Saiyans. Most people were more than concerned with getting fried to a crisp. He smirked in spite of himself, growled, and settled back into a comfortable position and resumed his meditation. He did, after all, have to reach Super Saiyan.

Bulma took a deep breath and got out of her car. She walked up to Yamchas front door and knocked. She was about to knock again when she heard the bolt slide back. Yamcha opened the door and his jaw dropped.

"Bulma! What... What are you doing here?"

"Hey Yamcha." Bulma practically purred.

"You're not going to invite me in?" She cut him off and pushed past him into the apartment.

"Y'know, Bulma, now is not really the best time." Yamcha looked slightly edgy.

"And why would that be?" She leaned into him and stroked his jaw. He backed away.

"Umm... Bulma, I hadn't heard from you in so long I thought you'd left me..."

Bulma drew back and crossed her arms.

"There's someone else here, I take it? I've seen enough movies to guess as much."

He nodded, looking like he was about to cry.

"Oh." She looked shocked, like someone had just hit her over the back of the head with something heavy.

"Well, I should probably leave then." Bulma headed towards the door.

"I'm so sorry, Bulma."

She said nothing and left.

Bulma got into her car sobbing. She had known that this was coming and it was only a matter of time, but she had always expected to be the one to break up with him. It was a huge blow to her pride. She leaned back against the headrest, It was time to go home and wallow in her misery. She started the engine and drove off.

She managed to get to her room without disturbing anyone. That would have been the last thing she needed, to run into her mother, or worse still, Vegeta. She shuddered at the thought of the scathing things he would have to say about her weak human emotions. She curled up on her bed and sobbed herself to sleep.

A couple of days later she threw herself into her work. She decided to build a gravity training room for Vegeta. It would keep the obnoxious arse off her back for a while. She seemed to keep bursting into tears whenever they argued, and she hated herself for it. It was like exposing your neck to a wild animal, it was gonna go for the throat. And, she added as an afterthought, it may help him reach Super Saiyan, which might give them some sort of chance against the androids.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially Dragonball Z. Well obviously, I own a computer, but please don't sue me cos that's all you'll get, and I'll miss it so.

Chapter 4 - Revelations

Vegeta turned off the gravity in the training room that the wench had built him. He started to stretch out his muscles and cool down. The woman was insane, to think that he had started to respect her for standing up to him. He snorted. Now all she did was cry and run away. Either that, or she would be so absorbed in her own thoughts to even notice his presence.. He actually missed the perverse pleasure he got from taunting her.

He was almost back to his room when he ran into Bulma. She looked rather skittish when she saw him and started to change direction so as to avoid him. He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her and she almost jumped out of her skin.

"Woman."

"Yes? Is there something wrong with the gravity chamber?"

"No." He smirked.

"If there's no problem, I'll be off."

He racked his brains, trying to think of a way to try and find out what was wrong with her that wouldn't make him look like he cared. He didn't care.

"Woman, all this crying makes you look ugly."

"Well, I just don't give a fuck. Yamcha and I broke up, so I'm allowed to cry all I want."

"You're crying over that imbecile? You're even stupider than I first thought." He was trying to goad her into a fight.

"Look, Vegeta. It's none of you're fucking business. Would you just leave me and my injured pride t ourselves?"

"At least you're not crying." He grumbled, half to himself.

"What?! I have every right to cry, you arsehole!"

Vegeta smirked in spite of himself. Bulma was back.

"Fine, just make sure I don't see your face when you cry again. Hide it under a paper bag or something. It makes me sick."

"Big fucking deal. Do you really think I care?"

"Obviously not, or you wouldn't be wearing what you are."

For the first time since she and Yamcha had broken up did Bulma seem to take note of what she was wearing – her labcoat and tracksuit bottoms.

"Since when did you take note of what I was wearing? Or whether or not I'm ugly when I'm crying? As a matter of fact you only said I was ugly when I'm crying, not uglier, as I would've expected."

She paused and Vegeta's smirk turned an angry frown, but she didn't give him a chance to speak. She moved closer to him and hissed,

"You find me attractive, don't you, Vegeta?"

Vegeta faltered for a millisecond, then growled back,

"I'm allowed to browse the merchandise, am I not?"

Vegeta decided to make a quick exit.

"MERCHANDISE?!" Bulma's screech could be heard from inside his apartment. He knew she wouldn't follow him, she would be just as shocked at what he had let slip, as he was at letting it slip.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially Dragonball Z. Well obviously, I own a computer, but please don't sue me cos that's all you'll get, and I'll miss it so.

Chapter 5 – A truce?

Bulma waited for the water to heat up and stepped into the shower. She let the steaming water cascade over her and her muscles slowly relaxed. She hadn't realised just how tense she was. She was dwelling on her earlier conversation with Vegeta. He was such an arse. He had called her merchandise. Where the hell did he get the right? But, at least she wasn't the only one who felt some sort of attraction. She seemed to have a thing for pricks. Anyways, he would never know. Unless he already did. He was sneaky, that saiyan. He had also had ample opportunity to eavesdrop, her mother did like to point out the attraction of Vegeta. Ah well. It's not like either of them would do anything about it. She sighed and stepped out of the shower. It was almost a pity that the both of them were so stubborn and proud. After all, he was incredibly sexy.

Bulma wrapped herself in a towel and wiped the mist off the mirror. She stared at her reflection. She looked somewhat flushed, probably from the hot water. She ran the cold tap and splashed her face.

She left the bathroom and put on pyjama bottoms and a singlet. She paced for a bit. It was obvious to her that sleep wasnt going to come easy tonight. 'Well,' she thought to herself 'that can be cured. I'll go downstairs and watch a movie.' There was sure to be something mindless on. She grabbed a blanket and headed down to the living room, and the big TV.

She sat on the couch, felt around down the sides, pulled out the remote and flicked on the TV. She channel surfed for a couple of minutes and finally settled on a 'romantic comedy'. Not normally her thing, but she did want something mindless. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and got comfortable.

About half an hour into the movie she heard the fridge door opening and closing in the kitchen. She felt a presense in the room. She looked around and saw Vegeta standing in the doorway, holding a plate of leftovers. Bulma groaned inwardly and mentally prepared herself for the approaching verbal sparring match.

"What is this?" Vegeta gestured at the TV.

"It's a television. It..."

"I know what it is." He cut her off. "I was wondering why you were watching such drivel."

"I agree. It's crap. I don't need to justify myself to you though." Bulma was somewhat confused by the direction the conversation had taken.

"What do you want, Vegeta?"

He scowled and opened his mouth. But it was Bulmas turn to cut him off.

"Look, I really don't feel like fighting, could we call a truce until the end of this movie?"

Vegeta grunted and sat down at the opposite end of the couch, refusing to make eye contact with her. He ate his meal and they watched the TV in silence.

They were halfway through the second movie when Bulma started snoring. Vegeta watched her for a couple of minutes, snorted and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially Dragonball Z. Well obviously, I own a computer, but please don't sue me cos that's all you'll get, and I'll miss it so.

Chapter 6

Bulma was in her lab playing with chemicals. She was working on another invention. Se seemed to spent most of her time there these days. All the Z fighters were in training, so she had no one to hang out with. She could have called Chi Chi, who was probably feeling as lonely as she, but they had never really been all that close. Chi Chi had always seemed a little wary of Bulmas relationship with Goku. She didn't have anything to worry about, Bulma had known Goku since he was a little boy, but that didn't stop Chi Chi from being possessive.

Her mind turned to her odd experience with Vegeta the night before. What had possessed her to ask for a truce? It was a show of weakness. But then, why had Vegeta agreed? She guessed that she was emotionally exhausted, things always seemed to happen to her at once. But still, that didn't explain Vegeta. Perhaps he also had too much on his plate, not that he would ever admit it. It must have hurt to find out the his planet was destroyed by the one that he had been working for all these years. And then, not to be able to get his revenge. And he was outdone every time by Goku, whom Vegeta did not even really regard as a Saiyan. Not that Vegeta would ever admit that he had feelings about anything to anyone. Not even himself. She sighed. She was also somewhat surprised that she was thinking about Vegeta with something other than loathing. Not that he wasn't an arse. It wasn't pity she felt for him, it was more of an understanding.

She put her work down and stood up. She wasn't in the mood to work. Her mind wasn't on it and she would probably make mistakes. It just wasn't worth it. And besides, her stomach was starting to grumble.

She was almost at the kitchen when she ran into Vegeta. He was headed upstairs and didn't seem to notice her. As he moved past her he bumped her into the wall.

"Watch where the fuck you're going!" Bulma yelled.

"Why should I?"

"Because you hurt me, prick." She rubbed her shoulder where it had hit the wall.

"So?" Vegeta smirked.

Bulma felt her face flushing.

"You are a complete and utter arse!"

"At least I don't smell."

Bulma sniffed the air. Chemicals. She smelled a little acidic. Oops. She hadn't realised when she had left the lab that the smells were clinging to her. Ah well. Time for a little revenge.

She leaned in close to him and sniffed him.

"Mmm... You're right. You do smell good."

She walked into the kitchen before he could react.

Bulma had just put her pajamas on. Perhaps she would go watch a movie again. Hopefully uninterrupted this time. She had to admit, it was fun when she sniffed him. She must have really freaked him out as he hadn't come down for dinner. She had heard him moving around earlier so he must have eaten when everyone else had left. She headed downstairs.

She had turned the TV on and covered herself in her blanket when Vegeta walked in.

"What do you want?" She snarled. She was hoping to get some peace.

Vegeta said nothing and sat down next to her. She resigned herself to the fact that she was not going to get any peace.

"Blanket?" Bulma offered him the edge of the blanket. He scowled at her, but took it and covered his legs with it. The were silent as they watched the movie.

Bulma woke up with a jerk. She must have been tireder than she thought. Holy shit! She had her head on Vegetas shoulder! Why hadn't he pushed her off? He must have felt her stir because he looked at her and smirked.

"You're awake."

Bulma started to pull away, but something stopped her. She looked at the TV and realised that she must have been asleep for a while. A movie she had never seen before was almost at an end.

"Why didn't you move me?" Bulma mumbled.

"You needed rest." Vegeta stated.

Bulma realised just how close they were. Her skin was pressed against his. Her heart rate sped up and she flushed for completely different reasons than the norm. In fact, her whole body felt hot.

Bulma looked up at him. Vegeta was staring back at her, the usual scowl on his face, but his eyes looked different somehow. It was now or never. She reached up and touched his cheek, then traced his jawbone, then his lips. He didn't object. So she leaned up into him and kissed him.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially Dragonball Z. Well obviously, I own a computer, but please don't sue me cos that's all you'll get, and I'll miss it so.

Chapter 7

Vegeta pulled back and looked at Bulma. What the hell was he doing? He drew back farther, and looked away from her. Bulmas face sagged. She jumped to her feet.

"I... I'm sorry..." She stammered. "I don't know what came over me." She looked like she was about to cry, Vegeta glanced at her, and looked away again. The scowl returned to his face and he left the room. And, as he padded softly up the stairs he heard heard Bulma sobbing in the living room.

He heard the rain start as he entered his room. It was pounding on the windows. He stared out at the lights of the city, distorted by the water on the glass. It seemed to mirror his mood.

Why did he let Bulma kiss him? He had been alone for so long, but that gave him no excuse. They had ruined a very good thing. He enjoyed pissing her off and as far as he could tell she got a rush from it too. And then there was the fact that he felt completely comfortable around her. She put him at ease because he respected her. She didn't fear him, which was something that had never happened before. So, again he asked himself, what had possessed them?

He was so angry with himself. It would have been so much easier for him to blame Bulma for this but it was just as much his fault. He could have done so many things to prevent it. Now the only thing comfortable and easy was gone.

He growled and put his fist through the window. The pain felt good. A distraction from reality. It was time to go cause himself some more pain. He opened the balcony door and flew off the edge and landed gently on the ground below. He then stormed towards the gravity chamber.

Bulma looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks. The sound of glass breaking had woken her from her stupor. She caught a glimpse of something moving outside. She moved to the window and saw Vegeta entering the gravity chamber. She turned away. What the hell was going on? All she knew was that she was confused and hurting. Why had he rejected her. And, more importantly, why the hell had she kissed him? It felt right at the time, but she still had no idea why she had done it. It must have been hormones or something. After all, she couldn't stand him. But, still, that left her wondering why he had walked away. She knew he was attracted to her, he had admitted as much, and he had kissed her back, to start with. She touched her lips. Perhaps she didn't hate him as much as she thought. She dried her eyes on her sleeve and headed up to bed.

She woke up at noon the next day feeling like she was a little hung over. Dehydration could do that to a girl, especially one that had cried as much as she had last night. She stood up and groaned. She got some ibuprofen out of a drawer next to the bad and took it dry. Then she showered and headed down to the kitchen to find herself something to eat.

It was late, and Bulma was working in her lab, trying to forget all that had happened the previous night. So far, it had worked, but now her stomach was growling and distracting her. She kept poking it with her finger, but to no avail. It made a good point though, she hadn't eaten since she had woken.

She went down to the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was full of leftovers. How odd. Vegeta hadn't been here, then. She looked at her watch. It was close to midnight. Surely that bottomless saiyan stomach on legs should have eaten something by now. Worry tugged at the edges of her mind, but she pushed it aside. She filled a plate, sat down, and discovered she could only pick at it. She couldn't hear any noise from upstairs. But that could mean anything. She sighed and pushed her plate away. If this nagging feeling wouldn't leave her alone she'd just have to prove it wrong. She went into the living room and looked out the window, checking to see if the gravity chamber was still active. It was. She walked outside, heading towards it.

Vegeta paused from his training, his stomach growling. He growled back at it. His muscles were aching. Stubbornly, though, he pushed on, his body was on it's last legs. He paused again, as the world started to spin around him and silver spots appeared to dance in front of his eyes. He took a step towards the door, and then everything went black.

Bulma peered in a window of the gravity chamber. There was no movement. She checked a panel next to the door. It was still active. She rushed around to another window and spotted Vegeta laying prone in the middle of the floor. Her hand went to her mouth as she gasped in horror. He wasn't moving at all. She deactivated the chamber and rushed inside.

"Vegeta!" She screamed. She shook him, trying to get him to wake up. Nothing happened. She felt for a pulse, it was there, but it was weak. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. 'Please, please, please don't have turned it off.' She thought.

Her father picked up.

"Bulma, it's late..." He started.

"Daddy, please." She cut him off. "Get a medic down to the gravity chamber. Vegeta's collapsed, he's got a pulse, but it's weak. He needs medical attention right away."

"Sure. We'll be right there." He leaped out of bed, pulled on a dressing gown, and made the appropriate calls.

Two medics ran into the chamber, followed closely by Bulmas father. The medics checked Vegeta over, making sure he was stable, and then they loaded him onto a stretcher. They carried him up to the med win, with a very worried Bulma trailing behind, holding her fathers hand.

They laid him down on a bed. A doctor was already there. He checked Vegeta over again, then hooked him up to a bunch of machines and a drip.

"He will be alright?" Mr. Briefs asked the doctor.

"Yes, he will be. He's just exhausted. He'll be fine in a couple of days."

Both of the Briefs' breathed a sigh of relief. Bulmas father put his arms around her and gave her a hug. She collapsed into him. He stroked her hair.

"Everything will be fine, Bulma. You heard the doctor." He said.

"I know. I was just so worried."

Bulma moved away from her father, who quietly removed himself from the room, beckoning for the doctor to follow. She pulled a chair across the room and sat next to Vegetas bed. She touched his face. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. She brushed his hair back, then took his hand, watching him sleep. She stroked his hand as she watched him in silence, until, eventually she fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially Dragonball Z. Well obviously, I own a computer, but please don't sue me cos that's all you'll get, and I'll miss it so.

UPDATE: This is for pippa- my anonymous reviewer. I thought I would give people the option of reading the lemon or not, hence the link, but if you can't be bothered here it is in its full glory. I'm sorry if I scare any children.

AN: I'm not a big fan of authors notes but I feel this chapter calls for one. This story seems to be writing itself, so this chapter came unexpectedly. If you're young and innocent avert your eyes now. I tried very hard to avoid smut, but it was very hard to write a detailed fic without it. Any input would really be appreciated here, sex is something that I don't normally go into large amounts of detail about. Anyways, enjoy. And anyone who has reviewed me, thank you sooo much. You're all great.

Chapter 8

Vegeta slowly shifted into consciousness. His whole body ached. He opened his eyes. Where was he? The room was white and sparse and there were machines making beeping noises that seemed to be attached to him. He pulled off the sticky pads and pulled the needle out of his arm. He sat up a little and looked around. Bulma was sitting in a chair next to his bed. What was she doing there? Bulma stirred. She must have noticed Vegeta moving. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"You're awake." Bulma stated.

"So it seems."

"How are you feeling?" Concern showing on her face.

"Fine." He wasn't about to tell her how sore he was. Bulma seemed to sense this and started to rise.

"How long have I been here?" Vegeta asked.

"Two days."

"And you?"

"The same." She seemed slightly embarrassed by this.

"Hmpf." Vegeta wasn't quite sure what to say. He wanted to thank her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. I need to shower and have a proper sleep." Bulma rose, and left the room, touching his arm as she left.

Vegeta lay back and closed his eyes. Maybe everything hadn't gone wrong after all. He and Bulma were still friends. Friends? When had they become friends? He felt warm inside and he was thinking about her when he fell asleep.

Hours later Vegeta awoke feeling completely healed. He guessed it was late afternoon by the sunshine coming through the small window. He got out of bed and discovered he was dressed in a hospital gown. He looked at it in disgust and was about to tear it off and rip it to shreds when he realised he couldn't see his other clothes. He had a good look round and discovered that they were nowhere to be found. He'd have to make his way back to his room wearing a dress that was slightly too small with a tie up back that left nothing to the imagination. He'd just have to hope no one saw him. He crept out of the room, trying not to make a sound.

He was at the end of the hallway leading to his room, not having to run into anyone, though there had been a couple of close calls that involved diving into closets. Very undignified. But at least it was private indignity instead of public. He growled. The damn dress.

All of a sudden Bulma walked out of her room. Vegeta flinched inwardly. She started when she saw him. Then an evil grin appeared on her face and she walked up to him.

"Love the dress. It really brings out your eyes." She smirked.

Vegeta feigned indifference, a scowl plastered on his face.

Bulma walked in a circle around him., and faced him again, standing very close to him.

"Brings out your arse too, it seems. Very nice." She giggled.

Vegeta didn't know what to do, so he did the only thing he could think of. He kissed her. Bulma froze. That was the last thing she had expected. Then she kissed him back. Her hands went to his hair, and then remembering the gown she let the slip down his back. She undid the top knot and the gown slipped down a couple of inches.

Vegeta pulled back

"That's not fair." He almost pouted. Which looked kinda funny when combined with his constant scowl. Bulma giggled at his expression. Then she grinned evilly and opened the door to her room and pulled him inside.

Vegeta stroked her hair and looked into her eyes. He brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. He traced her jaw with his finger, and brushed it over her lips. He then traced her neck and collarbone, and retraced the path of his finger with his lips.

Bulma lifted his head up and kissed him again. Her hands moved back to his gown. She untied the rest of the knots and the gown slid to the ground. She spoke into his ear.

"As good as that looked on you, it looks better on the floor." She nibbled his ear. Vegeta groaned.

"It's still not fair."

"Do something about it, then." Bulma took a step back and held her arms up. Vegeta growled deep in his throat and jumped forward to tug her top over her head. He then undid her jeans and crouched down and watched each new inch of flesh as it was revealed. He pulled them off her feet and worked his way back up, trailing kisses up each of her legs.

Bulma stood there in her underwear with no trace of embarrassment. Vegeta stood back and admired her. She was gorgeous, and he was more than a little turned on. It was showing. Bulma looked back at him, his body was amazing, like a greek god. She decided to tease him a little. She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, and removed it slowly. Vegeta moved towards her but she pushed him away. She then extracted himself from her panties. Vegeta hesitated and Bulma beckoned to him. He rushed forward and kissed her again. He let his hands explore her body, the curve of her breasts, her hips, her stomach and her thighs, stopping before he got too high, teasing her. She moaned.

All of a sudden Vegeta wrapped his arms around her legs and lifted her, holding her across his arms and breaking the kiss. Bulma squealed and clung to him. He moved over to the bed, never taking his eyes off her. He kissed her head and put her down gently on the bed. He lay down next to her and propped himself up on his elbow.

"You okay?" He mumbled. He didn't like to ask for anything, but he didn't want to do anything against her will.

Bulma smiled. "You think I take my clothes off for just anyone?" It was sweet, Vegeta checking on her.

He kissed her neck and worked his way down her body. She moaned with pleasure and pulled him on top of her. She didn't want to wait another moment.

He entered her gently, not wanting to hurt her. Then he withdrew almost all the way and and thrust back in, every time going in a little deeper, and every time her hips rose to meet his, her hands clawing at his back.

Bulma screamed. He could feel her climaxing and the increased pressure was more than he could stand. He groaned and fell to her side, careful not to crush her. They both lay panting. Vegeta reached across and kissed her, and wrapped her in his arms. Bulma felt a sense of security she had never felt before. She fell asleep feeling safe and loved.

Vegeta watched her for as long as he could keep his eyes open, and slowly he drifted off too.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially Dragonball Z. Well obviously, I own a computer, but please don't sue me cos that's all you'll get, and I'll miss it so.

AN: Sorry that its taken me so long to update, but I've had exams. Anyways, many thanks for all the great reviews. You're all wonderful, and this is for you guys. Enjoy.

Chapter 9

Bulma awoke slowly. She grinned as the night before came flooding back to her. She stretched slowly and started and started as her elbow connected with something solid. Her eyes snapped open. Vegeta was still lying next to her! She hadn't expected that. She had assumed that he would have left as soon as she had fallen asleep. Wasn't that how guys normally did things? And for good reason too. She didn't know whether to bolt now or face him when he woke up. It was her room after all, but she'd rather put off all the uncomfortability that this situation would create until as late as possible.

Bulma rolled towards the edge of the bed, but as she moved Vegeta stirred. He snorted a little and rolled in her direction, his head coming to rest on her shoulder. Bulma scowled. He was making her getaway difficult. She very carefully tried to extract her shoulder, but if she was to use any force it would wake him. She would just have to wait for him to move again. She settled back and watched him. He was so cute when he was sleeping. She reached up with her free hand and stroked his hair. She sighed. If she wasn't able to leave she'd just have to go back to sleep. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off, her arm wrapped around his body.

Vegeta's eyes snapped open and he was immediately aware of his surroundings. He slowly extracted himself from Bulma and sat at the edge of the bed. What had he done last night? He felt like he'd taken advantage of Bulma. Sure, she could take care of herself. Better than most, in fact, but that didn't stop him from feeling protective of her. He turned and looked at her, and resisted the urge to lean over and kiss her. He stood up and retrieved the hospital gown from where it had fallen the night before. He looked at it in disgust but wrapped himself in it anyway. He moved back to the bed to get one last look at Bulma before he left. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. Vegeta smiled back, not his usual smirk, but a genuine smile. Then he turned and left.

Bulma stretched and got out of bed, grinning to herself. She didn't feel that what they had done was a mistake. She had to admit that she had no idea what would happen next. This concerned her slightly, but on the other hand, it was refreshing. Her relationship with Yamcha had been very predictable and this was something new and exciting, and it felt good.

Bulma hadn't seen Vegeta for the last few days. She had been hard at work in the lab, as her father had started a new project that had hit a couple of kinks and he wanted all the problems sorted before he would let Bulma get any peace. Bulma wasn't keeping normal hours and had been eating all her meals in the lab. Though she was far to busy to see Vegeta she had kept tabs on him from a distance, he seemed to be training hard in the gravity chamber.

Her isolation was finally over. She had worked out all the problems and now she was entitled to a day of rest. She had just gotten out of a long, hot bath. She would have stayed in longer but she had started to shrivel a little. She headed downstairs to have a late breakfast.

Entering the kitchen she found her mother making a huge cooked breakfast and chattering away to Vegeta, who looked murderous. Bulma took a seat opposite him, and a heaped plate of food was placed in front of her and her mother turned some of her attention to Bulma. Bulma tuned her out and made the appropriate noises when necessary. For the main part she was trying to decide whether or not to make eye contact with Vegeta. Normally it would have been a no brainer, but she really didn't want to get blown up.

Eventually her mother left the room and Bulma watched Vegeta out of the corner of her eye, until his colour returned to normal. She attempted to break the ice.

"So... How goes the training?"

Vegeta just grunted.

Bulma tried again. "The weather's nice, huh?"

Vegeta looked at her slightly disdainfully, but Bulma took no notice, and grinned at him. She stood up, stuck her tongue out at him and left the room.

Vegeta felt slightly guilty as she left, but he really had no idea how to deal with her. He knew she understood, otherwise she wouldn't have grinned at him. But still, he should make it up to her. He didn't know how yet, but he would. Although he would probably never tell her that he cared about her, he would find a way to show her.

Bulma had gone shopping, it was late night in the city and she had taken full advantage of it. It had been dark for hours and she had stopped for a late dinner on her way home. She was thinking about Vegeta as she opened the front door. She was wondering just what was going to happen next, if anything. The great thing about working constantly was that she was too busy to worry. She sighed and dropped her packages on the floor. The shopping spree had exhausted her. She looked up and noticed a dark shadow lingering in the living room doorway.

Curious, Bulma moved towards it. It was Vegeta, he was leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed and smirking. Bulma smiled and walked up to him. When she got close enough Vegeta grabbed her around the waist, picked her up and carried her into the living room. He kissed her on the head , sat them both down on the couch and handed her the remote. Bulma reached up and planted a lingering kiss on his lips. She then curled up against him and he wrapped his arms around her. They settled back to watch a movie, neither of them particularly bothered by what was on, but were just enjoying each others company.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, especially Dragonball Z. Well obviously, I own a computer, but please don't sue me cos that's all you'll get, and I'll miss it so.

AN: Cheers for the reviews, guys. I love you all.

Chapter 10

Bulma leaned over the toilet, her stomach heaving as she brought up the last of her breakfast. Not that she had eaten much anyway, just dry toast to try to settle her stomach. Fat lot of good that had done. She decided that she must be coming down with something, though she had wondered about the possibility of being pregnant, but during the past month or so while herself and Vegeta had been sleeping together they had used protection, except the first time. It was extremely unlikely that she had gotten pregnant that time, after all some people tried for years to get pregnant, so what were the chances of her being so after just one time?

'Meh' she thought, and dismissed the idea, bracing herself as another wave of nausea hit her.

Vegeta was hovering silently outside the bathroom door. He was worried about Bulma, but for some reason he didn't want her aware of this. She had been like this for about a week and he was afraid that he had somehow damaged her. He didn't think that this was particularly likely, but that didn't stop the thought from nagging him. He heard the toilet flush and he swiftly left the room so Bulma was none the wiser. He headed out to the gravity chamber to train and forget about his concerns for a while.

The next day found Bulma retching her guts up again. She was now more than a little concerned. Surely if this was a stomach bug then it would be over by now. She decided to go see the doctor, she couldn't keep going on like this. She flushed the toilet, washed her face and headed to the medical wing.

Bulma held out her arm as the doctor took a blood sample. She looked away as the needle pierced her skin, feeling lucky that she didn't have Goku's aversion to needles. She smiled at the thought. The doctor removed the needle from her arm and labeled the little tube of blood.

"Ok Bulma, we're done here. On the outside you seem to be in perfect health, but we'll know more when we get the results back. I'll let you know."

The doctor patted Bulma's shoulder as she stood up. She grinned at him and left to busy herself in the lab.

That evening she was finishing work late, trying to make up for the time she had lost by being ill. She had just taken off her lab coat when the phone rang. She had no idea who would be calling her in the lab at this hour. Unless, of course, it was her mother. She flinched at the thought, but picked up the phone anyways.

"Bulma speaking."

"Hello Miss Briefs. This is Doctor Lyndon. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thank you. What's up?"

"We have your results here."

"Wow. That was quick." Bulma was surprised, she had thought that she was in for a long wait.

"The advantages of having your own doctor."

"So, what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing as such. You don't have any sort of viral or bacterial infection, but there is one other thing..." The doctor hesitated.

"Yes." Bulma got a little concerned.

"You're pregnant."

"Oh." Bulmas eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Thank you."

She had placed the phone down on the receiver. That was the last thing she had expected. She had already managed to talk herself out of thinking that. What the hell was she going to do? She couldn't possibly get rid of it, that wasn't right for her. How the hell was she going to tell Vegeta? Maybe she wouldn't tell him at all. Then again, he was bound to notice that she was getting fat, and then when a baby popped out of her, that was bound to give the game away a little. And what the hell was she going to do with a baby? A half-saiyan baby. Her baby was going to have a tail.

Bulma started pacing, trying to get her thoughts in order.

She was going to have a baby. Vegeta's baby. It was going to have a tail. She was going to have to tell Vegeta.

This was way too much for her to digest at once. Bulma decided to sleep on it before she did anything. She left her lab and headed to her room. She showered, sat on her bed and started sobbing.

There was a knock at the door. She ignored it. There was another knock.

"Bulma?" It was Vegeta.

"What do you want?" Bulma didn't mean to sound unpleasant, but she sounded that way.

Vegeta opened the door. He froze when he say that she was crying, then he started to back out again.

"Wait," Bulma stood up and decided that she may as well get it over with, "I have some news."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her. Bulma sat back down and burst into tears again. Vegeta just stood there and looked at her.

"I... Well we... we're going to have a baby."

Vegeta steadied himself against the wall, crossed his arms and scowled at her.

"You had better be joking."

Bulma just shook her head and stared at the ground. Vegeta stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Bulma let him go, deciding it was best to give him some time. She didn't want to end up in a thousand little pieces. She just curled up in a little ball and cried herself to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: for those of you who actually care, sorry it's taken me so long to update, those of you who don't, why are you even here??? Been busy with a new job, why the hell do they call these holidays even? I mean, good god, uni ends and I'm working my arse off at a pointless job, trying to pay for my next year of uni. Sorry to bitch.

Anyways hope you like it. Please review and let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is welcome, as always. Merry christmas, happy new year, love you all.

Gem

Chapter 11

Vegeta was furious. What the fuck did Bulma think she was doing getting herself pregnant? The Prince of Saiyans was not about to settle down and have a family, which was surely what she expected him to do? Surely it couldn't have happened after just one time, and surely she could get rid of the brat, he had heard about people doing this with unwanted pregnancies. And also, why had she not something to prevent this from happening?

He growled deep in his throat and hurled a ki ball across his bedroom, smashing a hole through the outside wall. This had to be a trick of some sort, though what possible purpose could it serve? He would let her know that in no uncertain terms that she would not be keeping the brat. There was no way that he would let his royal blood mix with that of a common earthling. He would wait though, he didn't want to accidentally hurt her in his anger.

He strode straight through the closed balcony doors, shattering the glass in the process and sped off into the night, looking for an isolated area that he could destroy in peace.

Many hours later Bulma awoke from her restless slumber, her entire body aching. Now that she knew she was pregnant it was showing itself in full force. She even imagined that she could see a little swelling in her belly, whether it was there or not she couldn't tell. She sat up slowly, catching a glance of herself in the mirror. Weren't pregnant woman supposed to glow? She looked more of a greenish shade, and she scowled at herself. All of a sudden a wave of nausea hit her and she stumbled into the bathroom.

After showering she felt a little better. The aches and pains had subsided slightly and her head was staring to clear. There were so many things that she aught to have said to Vegeta the previous night but she hadn't gotten the chance because the pig-headed Saiyan had stormed out. She wasn't sure how she was going to tell him now. Knowing him, the great oaf was probably out destroying a little bit of countryside, and there was no way that she was getting in the way of that. She decided that she would write him a letter. It was the only way that she was going to be able to tell him all that she needed too. Even if she did get a chance to speak to him he would probably do something immature like storm out, or bait her into an argument. She sat at her desk and pulled out a pen and paper, she took a deep breath and started to write.

Vegeta landed gently on his balcony, the sun had set again hours ago and he was aching, having beaten a significant area of land to a pulp. He noticed that the hole in the wall and the balcony doors had been repaired. He slid them open gently and walked towards his bathroom, wanting a hot shower to massage the tension out of his muscles. He stopped in his tracks, noticing an envelope sticking out from under his door. He ignored it and gathered a towel from the cupboard. He glanced at it again, walked over to it and picked it up, meaning to burn it to a cinder as it was probably from that woman. His curiosity got the better of him though. He sat on the bed and tore it open.

'Vegeta,' he read,

'I'm sorry that I sprung news like this on you. I apologise from the bottom of my heart, but I still feel the need to explain myself fully.

'It's not often that an opportunity like this comes along and I want to keep this baby.' Vegeta's eyes narrowed in anger, but he kept reading.

'I know you don't want it, so I'm giving you the opportunity to wash your hands of it. You can stay here, or leave if you like, but either way no one will know that its yours. I never expected you to want any part of this but I still felt that you had the right to know. I'd rather this baby didn't know who it's father was, than that it has a father who doesn't want it.

'I think that's about all. Sorry again that I made you angry,

'Love, Bulma.'

Vegeta blinked in astonishment and reread the letter. He had fully expected her to try to rope him into fatherhood, and so wasn't quite sure what to think. It was a weight off his shoulders at least, but then, why did he feel a small tug of disappointment? He shrugged it off, cleared his mind and went to take his shower.


End file.
